Aussie teen Maya Joint wins crucial Wimbledon warm-up tournament - while opponent was left in tears
Teenage sensation Maya Joint has earned an epic, backs-to-the-wall maiden grass-court triumph at the Eastbourne International to give Australia's challenge at Wimbledon the perfect launch pad.
The remarkable US-born 19-year-old, who's been making a stratospheric rise in the sport since relocating to Queensland less than two years ago, saved four match points on her way to defeating fellow rising star Alexandra Eala in a pulsating tiebreak finale on Saturday (Sunday AEST).
It meant Joint became the first Australian player to win the women's title in the 50-year history of the British seaside event which has become the traditional curtain raiser for the grass-court grand slam which begins on Monday.
'It's been an amazing year, an amazing two years,' beamed Joint at Devonshire Park, while saluting the Aussie coach Chris Mahony she credits for transforming her career.
'Thank you for everything you've done. You're a lifesaver,' she told him on court.
The astonishing 6-4 1-6 7-6 (12-10) win rocketed Brisbane-based Joint, who only turned 19 in April, to No.41 in the world when she kicks off her maiden Wimbledon with a tough opener against Russian No.19 seed Liudmila Samsonova on Tuesday.
'I'm very happy right now, feeling very relieved as well. It was a very difficult match. In that third set, and I'm proud of myself for coming back and staying in the match, even though I'd lost about nine of the last 10 games,' said Joint.
She had been 5-2 down, and almost out, in the final breaker, having to come up with fabulous defensive scrabbling to stay in contention as Eala came agonisingly close to becoming the Philippines' first ever WTA champion.
But the teenage daughter of former Sydney squash professional Michael Joint demonstrated real courage and calm in a terrific showdown which, after a nervy spell from both players as they both homed in on the title, really hit the heights in the youngest final since Tracy Austin and Andrea Jaeger in 1981.
For Eala, who's become a young heroine in the Philippines, it was all so crushing after Joint sealed the deal with a backhand cross-court winner that the 20-year-old ended in tears, with the Australian trying to console her that 'we will definitely play in more finals'.
Remarkably, Joint's run to her first WTA title on the clay at the Morocco Open five weeks ago also came on the weekend before a grand slam, and she then got knocked out in the first round by Ajla Tomljanovic.
'It's really great preparation. I've got a lot of matches in before Wimbledon, and hopefully I can be in Wimbledon a little bit longer than I was in the French,' said Joint.
'I think this time's a tiny bit different. I get one more day of rest, and I'll just detach myself a little bit more from the last match, and just focus on the match coming up.
'But I'm just really excited to get to London later today, and step into Wimby for the first time.'
For Eala, who's become a young heroine in the Philippines, it was all so crushing that the 20-year-old ended in tears
Of Samsonova, a tough customer who's reached the last-16 in three grand slams, Joint shrugged: 'I haven't played her before, so I don't know too much about her.
'When I get to Wimbledon, I'll just take a walk around, have some strawberries and cream - I love strawberries and cream.'
The news quickly spread to the youngster's friends and colleagues at Wimbledon 120km north of the seaside town, leaving Daria Kasatkina, who won the tournament last year before she switched her allegiance to Australia, delighted for her Eastbourne hitting partner.
'I practised with her before Eastbourne, and she actually had a little struggle playing on grass, and I could see she was a bit, let's say, depressed about the practice,' revealed the woman who's Australia's No.1 ahead of Joint.
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The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
I tested strawberries & cream ice cream… delicious £2.50 winner had juicy fruit & ingredient that gives it extra boost
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With 18.5 per cent strawberry puree, along with a lovely pink ice cream, it fills your mouth with summery berry flavours and there's loads of yummy sauce in each spoonful. I enjoyed the white choccie flakes, which provide some creamy hits on your tastebuds, but the actual ice cream itself was not particularly rich. On the plus side, however, it was smooth and enjoyable with a light texture that was softer than some others, so if you prefer your puds on the airier side it will slip down a treat. Wimbledon's Berry Delight Very tasty and well priced, a bowl that should keep everybody happy as a summer snack or as a pud. Rating: 4/5 Strawberry and Cream Ice Cream, 900ml £2.50, Morrisons 8 WELL priced for what you get, this is a 'proper' substantial and dense ice cream from the freezer aisle that tastes as though it came straight from the dairy. 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For strawberry and cream flavours, you would be better off with a portion of the real thing, but this should keep the kids happy as a summery pud. One to keep in the freezer for hot weather treats in the garden.
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
I tested strawberries & cream ice cream… delicious £2.50 winner had juicy fruit & ingredient that gives it extra boost
The cost of Wimbledon's famous treat has risen by 20p this year STRAWBERRIES & DREAM I tested strawberries & cream ice cream… delicious £2.50 winner had juicy fruit & ingredient that gives it extra boost Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) IT'S game, set and match for Strawberries and Cream as Wimbledon gets under way once again in SW19. However the cost of Wimbo's famous treat has risen by 20p this year – the first price increase since 2010. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 8 Laura Stott tucks in to tell us which frozen treats aced it and gives them all a score out of five Credit: Damien McFadden Tucking into the classic dessert will now set you back £2.70 a portion, with the venue set to sell 140,000 punnets throughout the two-week tournament. But if you can't attend courtside, tuck into the flavour at home with a tub of Strawberries and Cream ice cream, which should hit the spot while tuning in to watch the action on the telly. And luckily there are plenty of affordable options in the supermarket freezer aisles. Here LAURA STOTT tucks in to tell us which frozen treats aced it and gives them all a score out of five. Gelatelli Strawberries and Cream Ice Cream, 900ml £1.99, Lidl 8 Lidl's offering is packed full of strawberry taste Credit: Damien McFadden YOU get loads of fruity flavour on your spoon with this frozen treat from Lidl, which is packed with the taste of the summer fruit. With 18.5 per cent strawberry puree, along with a lovely pink ice cream, it fills your mouth with summery berry flavours and there's loads of yummy sauce in each spoonful. I enjoyed the white choccie flakes, which provide some creamy hits on your tastebuds, but the actual ice cream itself was not particularly rich. On the plus side, however, it was smooth and enjoyable with a light texture that was softer than some others, so if you prefer your puds on the airier side it will slip down a treat. Wimbledon's Berry Delight Very tasty and well priced, a bowl that should keep everybody happy as a summer snack or as a pud. Rating: 4/5 Strawberry and Cream Ice Cream, 900ml £2.50, Morrisons 8 Morrison's ice cream has a rich, smooth and velvety quality Credit: Damien McFadden WELL priced for what you get, this is a 'proper' substantial and dense ice cream from the freezer aisle that tastes as though it came straight from the dairy. Probably the creamiest scoop of the lot, this is a quality freeze with a rich, smooth and velvet quality, which most closely resembles the real thing. Made with five per cent strawberry puree, it hits the sweet spot, giving you the taste of the fruit, although the amount is lower and not as generous as some others. Yet the inclusion of double cream gives this tub a decadent depth you won't find in all puds. While choccie curls on top add interest, this offering is really all about the excellent ice cream itself. Very nice indeed – and its firmer hold means it would also be great with a drink or two. The only downside was a slightly odd aftertaste. Rating: 4/5 Strawberries and Cream Ice Cream, 900ml £2.65, Sainsbury's 8 Sainsbury's offering contains meringue pieces for some welcome crunch Credit: Damien McFadden THIS baby pink-hued frozen pudding was slightly different in appearance to many of the others I tried. It had more of a soft pink-coloured selection of swirls and topping. As well as its strawberry swirls and fruity sauce, this dessert also offers meringue pieces for some welcome crunch, which I really enjoyed. Despite its mellow appearance this tub actually packed some proper flavour, with a lovely rich taste that really was reminiscent of pouring proper cream on top of a punnet of strawbs. I'll admit that I wasn't expecting a top taste, mostly based on the slightly insipid rose and marshmallow colour palette, but this dessert proved me wrong. I'd happily spoon into this while watching all the tennis action on telly, and it's a great price for what it delivers, too. Rating: 5/5 Gianni's Strawberries and Cream Ice Cream Swirl, 900ml £1.95, Aldi 8 Aldi's should be eaten from a bowl or straight from the tub as it's too soft for cones Credit: Damien McFadden THIS certainly looks the part and it's a very attractive product. With bright pink strawberry syrup swirled all over and a mountainous, peaked, whippy-style top, it looks rather like a giant cone that you would get from an ice-cream van. There are also large white choccie curls on top and the extras make this look like a real treat – it will make you want to tuck in. This has quite a soft texture for a frozen pudding and I did find that it melted rather quickly, but the flavour was pleasant. It's sweet, which isn't really surprising considering all the fruity sauce on top, but it's still enjoyable. Eat from a bowl or straight from the tub as it's too soft for cones. Great for all the family and very well priced, too. Rating: 3/5 Strawberry and Cream Ice Cream, 900ml £2.65, Tesco 8 Tesco's is a bit pricey for what you get Credit: Damien McFadden THIS looked very similar to Aldi's tub and it is the same size but it was almost a pound more expensive which was rather surprising for an own-brand ice cream. Made with 12 per cent strawberry sauce and two per cent white choccie curls, there's no shortage of syrupy toppings in this tub, so you get a nice mix of textures when you serve it up, and the fruity flavour is decent too. The cream taste is not quite as noticeable, in part because the strawberry is rather dominant, but if you get a good mix on your spoon it still tastes fairly balanced and slips down nicely enough. I'm not sure how reminiscent it is of a bowl of the real thing, and it was a bit artificial tasting, but it's an agreeable enough frozen pud, even if it is a bit pricey for what you get. Rating: 3/5 Strawberries and Cream Ice Cream, 900ml £2.50, Iceland 8 Iceland's ice cream is hard to stop eating it once you dig your spoon in Credit: Damien McFadden IT might not be the cheapest tub on the block but Iceland's berries and cream-flavoured chilly pud really delivers the wow factor. Absolutely swimming in strawberry sauce, you get 14 per cent of the red syrup here – one of the highest concentrations among the tubs I tried. It's noticeable how much more 'berry juice' there is, meaning everyone will get plenty when you are scooping it out into bowls. Not only is it really tasty and glossy-looking, the sauce doesn't go gloopy. An additional four per cent strawberry puree amplifies the taste further and if that wasn't enough there are tons of crunchy meringue pieces, too. Really delicious, I'll forgive it being on the softer side. It's hard to stop eating it once you dig your spoon in. Rating: 5/5 Strawberry Sorbet and Cream Ice Cream, 900ml £1.98 Asda 8 Asda's tub almost looks too lovely to spoil by sticking your spoon into it Credit: Damien McFadden PRETTY in pink, this tub of ice cream almost looks too lovely to spoil by sticking your spoon into it. The strawberry sorbet flavour accounts for the extra sweetness but it's nicely countered by 12 per cent of strawberry puree, which is generous enough for this dessert to deliver on the taste it promises. This had quite a light and thin texture which wasn't akin to a traditional ice cream, but was more like a soft whippy cone. Overall that made this a bit unsatisfactory, as it did melt quickly and the flavours seemed to lack substance. For strawberry and cream flavours, you would be better off with a portion of the real thing, but this should keep the kids happy as a summery pud. One to keep in the freezer for hot weather treats in the garden. Rating: 2/5 Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Emma Raducanu relishing the Wimbledon buzz as she leads the first wave of the British charge and admits 'not much' beats winning at the All England Club
Emma Raducanu is relishing the Wimbledon buzz as she leads the first wave of the British charge on Monday. 'I just want to go out there and embrace the moment,' said the 22-year-old. 'It is a big occasion every year and that buzz of winning at Wimbledon, honestly, not much beats it.' Raducanu will lead the home charge alongside childhood friend and fellow British No 1 Jack Draper. 'It's amazing. I've known him for so long, so many years,' she said. 'We were both promising juniors and now to be British No 1 on both men and women's side, it's pretty cool.' Raducanu is taking on Swansea's Mimi Xu, the 17-year-old wildcard, in a frantic first day of Wimbledon with 14 British players in action. Temperatures are set to hit 35°C (95°F) at the All England Club on Monday, making it the hottest opening day in Wimbledon history. Emma Raducanu is relishing the Wimbledon buzz as she leads the British charge Raducanu is taking on fellow Brit Mimi Xu in a frantic first day at the All England Club
